In the Zone

I sang my first DMA recital last night! One down, two to go.

Performing a solo recital is very different from either a chamber recital or a show. No one can share the responsibility of being on stage with you, and it's less collaborative and more internal. The process itself is anything but solitary. I had much help, support and critique from my teacher, coaches and accompanist. But in the end, it's just you singing up there.

If anything taps into your fight-or-flight response, it's the first number of a recital. Starting is always the most difficult for me. If I sing "poorly" then I will continue to stress about what is coming up next. But if I do well (as, thankfully, I did last night), then performing begins to feel like a flow state activity. Many athletes talk about playing "in the zone" when they're doing well. It's the same for musicians. When words and notes are all memorized and you know how everything feels, it's possible to let go of your stream of thoughts and just be the characters of the songs. It was an amazing experience!